In response to your request for German-Russian heritage information and/or recipes, you may find our Messer/Wendel Knoephle recipe of interest. I have been searching its origin for several years, and came across your website in a Google search. We believed the family was originally from Bavaria, but I had never heard before of a possible Russian connection. I also am not aware that any of our family ever settled in North Dakota, but am sending a copy of thise-mail to my cousin Bill Wendel, who has been researching our family tree.

My mother, Dorothy Wendel Anderson, was born in 1916 in Syracuse, NY of German ancestry. This recipe was handed down to her from her mother, Julia Messer Wendel.. She often said the recipe was unknown outside the area her family was from.

All the recipes I've seen over a search of several years, have the knoephles in soup. I was surprised to see this, as that was not the way it was served at our house.

Directions: For each cup of flour, use 1 egg and 1 cup of milk. Mix flour, egg, and milk to form a stiff dough. (Pour in the milk a little at a time; you don't want the dough too "soupy".) Drop by spoonfuls into boiling water. When they float, they're done. Remove & drain.

While water is heating, place Saltines between sheets of waxed paper & crush with rolling pin. Roll the dumplings in cracker crumbs. Melt a little bacon grease in cast-iron skillet and lightly brown the knoephles.

Serve with roast pork, potatoes, & sauerkraut.

PS: This was our favorite Sunday dinner. Leftovers were cut up & mixed together in one large covered bowl & refrigerated a few days, then served as a weeknight supper by heating up in the same cast-iron skillet. Even better this way!

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